How To Choose A Tattoo
Posted on January 1st, 2009 by monsterguide
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So you’ve decided to take the plunge and get a tattoo. Be reminded that it isn’t as simple as getting a new dress or a new dental plan; a tattoo is intended to be with you forever, stuck on your skin with pain, blood, and sometimes tears. Some teenagers get tattoos in the spur of the moment, either due to passion or intoxication or both, and realize a couple of days later that they just decorated their skin with something they totally loathe.
Before you get a tattoo, be 100% sure that you really want to. A tattoo isn’t something you can just erase. Once you’re really sure you want one, go ahead and choose a design for your tattoo. This is more complex than it sounds. A tattoo’s design can make or break the experience.
Design Significance
Don’t get a tattoo just because it looks “cool”. Remember that what’s cool right now might not be five years from now. For example, Twilight might be cool among teenagers today, but in three or five years when it becomes just another book fad, you’ll feel silly with a tattoo of Edward Cullen in a heart on your hips. Decide on a design that has some personal significance to you. A white rose criss-crossed with a samurai sword, for example, looks cool, but there should also be significance of it to the wearer.
Consider Why You Want It In The First Place
If it’s a celebration for your first child, then you can have a tattoo design with your kid’s name on it. Maybe your team won the grand championship tournament and you want to save it for posterity; in any case, choosing a tattoo based on something that is memorable and permanent is a good choice. That way, it will never go out of style.
Be Creative
Creativity is an important factor when choosing your tattoo. For example, an eagle in mid-flight might look safe, but many people already have an eagle tattoo of some form or another. Try looking for existing designs and change them; most tattoo parlors have hundreds of designs available for you to peruse. If you don’t have the artistic skills to make something great out of an existing image, ask the tattoo artist or someone you know to help you.
Elaborate Designs = Awesomeness = Pain
A tattoo can never be too elaborate, although the adage “Simplicity is beauty” holds true here, as well. An elaborate tattoo is just like en elaborate painting; it holds the attention of the person watching it, so if you’re the flashy sort of person, an intricate and elaborate tattoo might just be your thing. Remember, though, that all this awesomeness comes with a price: longer time under the tattoo artist’s needle, and a longer pain experience.
Use Henna To Have A Preview Of Your Design
Go temporary before you decide to make it permanent. A good way to do this is to have a replica of your tattoo in henna. Sure, the colors might not be there, but at least you’ll have a fair idea of what to finally expect when you do decide to push for it. That way, the chances of you regretting getting, say, a picture of Pikachu on your arm, will be minimized.
Some more tips when getting a tattoo:
- As much as possible, don’t use names for tattoos unless they’re of your parents or child. The number one tattoo most artists are asked to cover up are names of lovers or ex-spouses.
- Asian alphabet characters, such as Chinese or Japanese, are popular, but make sure you get the right characters. Do some research first or else you might end up with “table” instead of “love”.
Don’t take tattoos lightly. They’re not something you rush. If you’re hesitant, then don’t push through with it just to be safe. After all, it’s your skin, not somebody else’s.
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